The Serpents and the Skulls, Chapter 4.1
18 Apr 2017Michael Wolfe
My mistress’s hips bucked and writhed, her thighs squeezing around my head as her fingernails clawed through my hair. She let a single, long cry that sounded like pain as much as pleasure and relaxed before me, her body melting into the bed, breathing heavily. Tiny moans accompanied each ragged exhale.
I took a moment to rest my head on her belly, my face bobbing up and down as Marra caught her breath. Normally, I would be basking in the glow of her beauty, her pleasure being my own. But this time, I only felt relief. Relief that she wasn’t angry- at me or anyone else. Relief that I had her all to myself. Relief that it felt like I was allowed to love her again.
But it wasn’t just that. I looked up at the woman I loved, her eyes closed in blissful serenity. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful-
But you watched her order the torture of a child. And then you watched her shoot that child. And then you watched her break her word to an old man and enslave an entire colony.
Other than tracing her fingertips through my hair, Marra was paying no attention to me, luxuriating as she was in carnal bliss. I again rested my head on her belly and wrapped my arms around her torso, my head swimming in thought.
You are a fool, Apollonia. Your mistress is Marrakech of the clan Morgan. You knew her past, and you knew what she was about when you first let her touch you.
I furrowed my brow, waiting for her to drift into slumber. Her breathing was gradually slowing, and her hands slowly falling from my head.
You felt nothing when you helped Azalea run her flesh business. You felt nothing when you helped Marra sabotage Black Omega’s own invasion. And you were only too happy to torment that Lehman fellow and dangle that holo of his purple-haired lover in his face.
I sat up, looking down at Marra. Space in a ship of war was at a premium, and her stateroom was cramped and dark compared to her suite on Clair Dock. The low rumble of the ship’s engines served as a constant reminder of where I was. I took a deep breath and slipped off the bed, pulling the covers over my mistress and watching her roll away from me.
But none of that involved children.
Silently, I padded into the washroom- on a ship, the washroom is called a head, I reminded myself- and started the shower. Normally, my body would be wrapped around Marra’s, luxuriating in her embrace, but today was different. I needed the solitude, the time alone to think and to cleanse myself of what I’d witnessed. Nothing about the last week had sat well with me.
I stepped into the surrounding streams of hot water, letting the day’s sweat and stress wash away. Nothing was as it should be. I loved my mistress more than anything in the galaxy and had understood from the beginning that she was no saint, but-
But where does one draw the line? Does such a line even exist in Pegasi? Or perhaps I’m being a fool after all. Perhaps this is this all there is- to fight and kill and fuck and live another day.
I closed my eyes as I moved my face into the stream, washing away my lover’s scent. Pegasi was what it was, and so was my mistress. I myself was a woman of Pegasi, coming up as I did in the filthy gutter of desperation. So why did I care so much?
Perhaps you’re not a fool. Perhaps you’re just a dreamer, oui? Living life like you expect to someday wake up in a better place. But there is no better place- not for Marra, not for you, and certainly not for that girl or any of her people.
Without a word, I soaped and rinsed my body, wishing for the first time that I could simply retire to my own suite back on Clair Dock. I emerged from the washroom and wrapped my arms around myself, shivering as I waited for my body to air-dry. On the bed, I could see the outline of her sleeping form.
I wanted so badly to wake her, to beg her to abandon her mad power schemes, to requisition a Cobra and fly away from everything. Away from her father’s ghost, away from the politics, away from the brutality to live as lovers and adventurers- with nothing but each other, our ship, and our luck to sustain us. She had lived that way once. Why could she not do so again, but with me at her side?
I felt a tear roll down my eyes as I curled myself against my mistress and sniffed in the darkness. The warmth was a welcome change from the wet chill of the stateroom.
You were wrong about yourself. Neither a fool nor a dreamer- but both, oui? You love who you love, and they are what they are.
I let my hand reach over my lover’s body to wrap around hers. In her sleep, she moved our entwined fingers between her breasts, over the twin skulls of the firm that she all but ruled. Despite myself, I sniffed again and smiled. Moments like this used to be plentiful. Now, they were rare and to be savored. Even if I got no sleep, it would be worth it.
And so are you, Apollonia. And even if I damn myself by doing so, I’ll stay by my mistress’s side to the end.
“What do you mean, ‘everywhere’?”
Victor Laius’s stern voice echoed on the bridge of the Bucephalus as his holo-form shimmered. We were in low orbit over the smoldering remains of the Snakes’ sanctuary, looking down as long lines of prisoners were being loaded into transports for the journey to the slave markets of Harma. My mistress had been sipping a glass of wine, content with watching the ant-like forms of the people and ships coming and going far beneath us. In fact, between the battlefield success, captured Elder, and previous night’s lovemaking she was the most content I’d seen her since hostilities broke out.
Until Victor K-casted her with the news of renewed Gold Crew attacks, that is.
“I mean everywhere. All thirteen systems. Convoys hit, starports attacked, local leaders assassinated. The Snakes are hitting wherever they can.”
My mistress scowled and looked sideways at her fellow council member. “So hit them back!”
The man hesitated for a moment, regarding her with barely-concealed frustration. “We can’t,” he said. “Most of the fleet is still tied up in your little slave sale, and local authority can barely keep order as is.”
Holo-vids of aerial drone footage appeared next to Victor, one clip after another showing rioters clashing against black-suited Enforcers on both planetside streets and station corridors. I could see Marra seethe as she beheld the disorder and chaos. She dismissed the feed, looking him hard in the eye.
“And what measures are being undertaken to combat this?”
The man shook his head. “We’ve deployed our merc contracts to help stem the rioting, but they make it worse as often as they make it better. The real problem is the perception that Black Omega can’t adequately protect its holdings. We took these systems by force, after all.”
Snarling, Marra held up a finger. “So keep them by force. Replace the field labor on Tsin’ Gu with slaves, and make examples of those who defy us!”
Openly exasperated, Victor again shook his head. “It’s not that simple. The locals-”
My mistress cut him off, her teeth bared. “Quell these uprisings, Victor- or I’ll make it that simple. Me and the rest of the fleet.”
The man somberly nodded, still looking her hard in the eye. Marra’s veiled threat hadn’t gone unnoticed, and the tension between them was obvious. He took a deep breath, and pressed on.
“There’s another thing. That old friend of yours- the von Steuben woman. She’s resurfaced.”
Marra drew herself up, her anger with Victor replaced by that for her nemesis. “Where?”
“Wherever the destruction is worst. She appears at the head of a raiding party, destroys everything, and leaves before reinforcements can show up. Until we know the location of the rest of their hidden bases, we’re trapped in a reactive position. People are even starting to call her a hero, a beacon of freedom against their vile oppressors.”
The irony in Victor’s tone wasn’t lost on anyone. Marra looked down at her feet, barely controlling her temper. “Whatever the bounty is on that bitch’s head,” she said slowly. “I want you to triple it. Leave these hidden bases to me. I’m leaving for Clair Dock, and soon the full weight of the Black Omega fleet will be descending upon these savages.”
Victor nodded, the tension between the two members of council lessening. “What of Azalea?”
My mistress snarled, her contempt for her “friend” now open. “Useless. Conscript her system’s forces into an auxiliary fleet and place it under your command. If she’s going to spend the war going back and forth between Exotica and her penthouse, then at least her people can contribute.”
Laius again nodded, an approving look in his eye. He’ll need the ships and men, I thought.
“And Degginal?”
The Pirate Queen looked away, considering the question of how to handle the old man. “Leave him to me.”
Victor smiled slightly, mollified. “Very well. I look forward to hearing of your success.”
“And yours,” Marra said icily.
The holo-image of Victor shimmered and faded, leaving Marra and me standing alone on the bridge. We were surrounded by the flight crew, of course- but they didn’t matter.
“Helmsman!” ordered my mistress. “Set course for Tjakiri. And notify the good doctor Glaboski to prepare his surgical chamber.”
“We’re prepared, then?”
Glaboski straightened his Changshan-style suit and smiled warmly at us. We were in the same surgical chamber as before, but instead of looking down at the scene from behind a wall of Plexiglas, I was standing in the middle of where the horrific scene had played out. His attention was focused on my mistress, of course- but it was still all I could do to maintain an impassive face as the memories of what had happened in this room replayed in my head.
“Not quite. The pharmaceutical isolators always take some time to synthesize. I’m waiting on a shipment of biotech conductors, as well. There’s quite a bit of preparatory work before a procedure of this type, I’m afraid.”
The Pirate Queen scowled, turning away from the man and tracing a hand along the stasis pod in which the Elder was kept. “This is important, doctor. Lives are at stake.”
A deeply sympathetic look crossed the man’s face, clearly seeing through Marra’s facile appeal to humanity. “Of course. The procedure will commence as soon as I have the proper materials. We must do what is right for the people under our protection, after all.”
By now, news of the widespread revolts against Black Omega had undoubtedly spread to Clair Dock. Marra shot a dangerous look at the doctor before spinning to walk away.
“Unlock that man’s mind, doctor. And then turn your full attention to Degginal. I want him alive to hear the news of our victory.”
Before Glaboksi could reply, my mistress was on her way out, heels clicking on the cold composite floor. The doctor and I exchanged a glance before I hurried to follow her, feeling his eyes on me as we strode out of the surgical chamber. I let out a sigh as I heard the door shut behind me, the knowledge that I was out of the man’s sight a relief.
It was approaching what passed for evening on Clair Dock, and in the absence of being dismissed I dutifully followed my mistress to her suite. She pulled up a holo-menu and ordered dinner, knowing that I would eat whatever was put in front of me without complaint.
We ate in silence, the food delicious but Marra’s gaze never leaving the giant picture window by her table. Outside, the black-hulled ships of Black Omega’s fleet drifted by, dark specks against the darker backdrop of space. I couldn’t guess what was running through her mind, and I knew better than to try her patience with idle small talk.
Marra had drank nearly half a bottle of fine wine, still looking out at the ships that were coming and going and safeguarding Clair Dock. Security had been enhanced for the center of Black Omega operations, and the war had stimulated demand for the firm’s wares. I’d never seen so many ships, their distant engine glows like slow-moving fireflies. Presently my mistress gestured to the void and sighed to herself.
“So much destruction. So much strife. So many people who don’t know their place.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I looked down and took a long sip of wine. “Qui, mon ami.”
Marra turned her gaze to me, casually taking a sip of her own. “And so much disloyalty. Wherever I turn.”
My mistress’s eyes held a dangerous glint to them. I smiled and took her hand in mine. “The Gold Crew cannot fight forever. You will destroy them and show the wayward systems the errors of their ways, non?”
She smiled in return, keeping my hand in hers. “Of course I will. And I’ll make a handbag out of that von Steuben bitch’s arms while I’m at it.”
“We can have a matching set, oui?” We shared a giggle, her earlier dourness broken.
Marra traced a thumb along my palm, causing goosebumps to rise up my arm. “Snakeskin bags for us both. But much will have to happen before then. The revolting systems aren’t the only things that need to be brought to heel.”
I held my smile in place, my mind racing. What is she talking about? Surely she doesn’t mean anyone on the council.
“There are many forms of disloyalty, mistress.”
Her thumb continued to make its figure-eights along my palm as her eyes kept their soft look. “It was a gamble, you know. Having you along for field operations. But you performed excellently, even when you were in real danger.”
I pursed my lips and looked at my lap, unable to look at my mistress after such a compliment. All I could do was summon a choked whisper.
“Thank you, mon ami.”
But Marra wasn’t finished. “And the trip back to Tjakiri, in my stateroom. It was a beautiful night, was it not?”
I swallowed, my heart pounding. Marra had never spoken to me like this. My mind raced, trying to process the kind words and soft touch. Outwardly, I simply looked up and smiled.
“Beautiful. As you said.”
Marra’s hand solidified in my own, her fingers gently folding over mine. “You saw to my every need, and then held me like a lover until I woke up.”
I blinked. “Your pleasure is mine, cheri.”
Her grip tightened, pulling my fingers to her mouth as she lightly kissed along their tips. Her eyes sharpened as they bore into mine.
“But first you needed a shower.”
My heart was pounding under my chest, so much that I feared it would be visible under my blouse. If this kept up, I would start to sweat.
So she wasn’t asleep. Only laying still and silent. What is happening? Did I fail some kind of test?
“It had been a long day, oui?”
Marra traced a fingertip along her teeth, her eyes still boring into mine. “Not that long. And nothing that had ever taken you away from my bed in the past.”
“Mistress, I-”
Her eyes flashed. “And certainly nothing that had ever made you stand over me like some stalker. You’re not going to turn overthinking what you see and do at my side into some kind of habit, are you?”
By now, I was between her teeth, the sharp points of her incisors pressing into the furthest joint of my index finger. I tried to gently pull my arm back, but she seized my hand and clenched it in her own.
Oh no, Apollonia. What have you done?
“Mon cheri, I only wanted to-”
Her grip on my hand tightened as she nibbled along my outstretched digit. “Shhhh. I know. I know that you haven’t done anything traitorous.”
I swallowed, still sensing danger. “Never, mistress.”
Marra’s smile from earlier returned, lightly sucking on my fingertip. “Do you remember what you promised? When you became mine. ‘Loyalty’, you swore. ‘Loyalty unto death’. Do you remember?”
I was just starting to say “Oui” when Marra bit down hard, breaking the skin and separating the two bones of my finger at the joint. I screamed and fell to my knees, knocking over the chair in which I’d been sitting. The pain was excruciating, but it wasn’t as terrible as my mind reeling that it was at the hands of my mistress.
She released my finger, me clutching the mangled digit to my chest and sobbing on the floor before her. I summoned all my courage and looked up. Marra was standing over me, a small trail of blood running from her lips as she took a haughty sip of wine. Gently, she reached down and again gripped my hand, pulling the bleeding finger up to her lips as I heaved and sputtered, not daring to resist.
In a gesture as tender as she had just been savage, my mistress delicately closed her lips around my bleeding digit and cleaned it with her tongue. Her eyes held none of their earlier fury, only looking down at me with compassion. Presently, she plucked the wounded finger from her mouth and pressed my head against her lap, my tears wetting the leather of her skirt.
“But you were right about something. Disloyalty comes in many forms. It can be an action, a word, or-” she stroked my hair like she had that night as she had seemingly drifted off to sleep. “- or a thought. Each is as guilty as the other two. Never forget that.”
I sniffed and nodded rapidly, grateful for the lesson and my mistress’s mercy. My finger was still on fire with pain, but I buried my head in her lap and wrapped my arms around her thighs, ignoring my own discomfort. It was surely broken, but also a small price to pay for being reminded of my place.
“Never, mistress.”
Her hand continued to pet my hair, pressing me against her lap. With both hands, she gripped my jaw and tilted my head up to face her. Her thumbs tenderly wiped the tears from my face as she looked imperiously down at me.
“Good.”
A coy smile lifted the sides of her lips, her hands drifting from my jaw to to the front of her skirt, lifting it a few inches. I swallowed as I realized what she wanted.
Here? Now? With me still bleeding all over the place?
“Now, let’s try all that again. No wandering off this time. And certainly no excessive thinking. Well?”
I blinked the tears from my eyes, my jaw trembling. “I am yours, mistress. Your property. Your slave. Everything I have is yours, now as ever. My body. My soul.”
A triumphant look hardened Marra’s eyes, her sense of domination complete. She gripped the back of my head and pressed me to her, her voice becoming distant.
“I know. Let’s hope that’s good enough.”